سبحان الذي سخّر لنا هذا وما كنا له مقرنين
Subḥāna alladhī sakhkhara lanā hādhā wa mā kunnā lahu muqrinīn
Glory to Him who has put this at our service, for we could not have managed it ourselves: said on mounting any means of transport.
What it means
This invocation is said when a person boards a mount or any vehicle: a camel or horse in the past, and a car, a ship or an aircraft today. Its words come from the Quran: “Glory be to Him who has made this subservient to us, for we could not have mastered it ourselves” (43:13). The last word, muqrinīn, means those able to control or bring under control.
The invocation reminds the traveller that the means of travel is a favour from God, since human beings did not create it and could not have made it serve them. The Quran continues with the words, “And to our Lord we shall return” (43:14), which remind the traveller of the final journey. Many Muslims add these words and ask God for a safe journey.
Often misunderstood as
The phrase is sometimes heard as a charm for safety, although it is an expression of thanks that places the credit with God.
What the sources say
It is reported that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said it when he had mounted and settled on his animal, after saying God’s name and praise, and then he asked for forgiveness (Sunan Abi Dawud and Jami al-Tirmidhi). The words follow the Quran’s verse about riding ships and animals (43:12–14).
Term and Arabic as listed in Ismail al Faruqi, Toward Islamic English (International Institute of Islamic Thought, 1995), p. 62, listed as SUBḤĀNA ALLADHĪ SAKHKHARA LANĀ HĀDHA WA MĀ KUNNA LAHU MUQRINĪN.. The definition is restated here.